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Sometimes, all you need is a cheap and cheerful phone case. And that’s precisely what the Ringke Onyx for the Pixel 9 series is.

It’s nothing special, but it ticks all the boxes you’d expect from a case while hitting a price point well below most alternatives. But should you buy it? Here’s what you should consider.

Obviously price is the main draw here, but I actually do think that the Ringke Onyx for the Pixel 9 is a good case. It feels pretty good in hand, with a nice texture on the back and a microdot pattern on the sides for added grip.

The buttons are also good, and the little dot over the volume buttons makes it easy to find without looking. If you’re changing to a Pixel 9 from a completely different design like an iPhone, this can help flatten the learning curve. At least when it comes to adjusting the volume.

There are also two lanyard holes at the bottom, which is a nice feature for all the moms out there who use lanyards. You know who you are.

I also really liked the way the screen lip flattens around the screen, which makes it super easy to use swipe gestures. It’s a lot more pronounced than it is on most cases, although the lip itself still holds onto the screen nicely.

Perhaps the most striking feature of the otherwise plain case is the covered camera bar. This is the only Pixel 9 case I tested with a covered camera bar, and it should help keep those lenses a bit safer. Most other cases use a raised lip, which, to me, is a slightly more elegant solution, but to each their own.

With all that said, you have to keep in mind that this is a cheap TPU case, so drop protection is limited and the overall feel isn’t as premium as more expensive cases from Mous, dbrand, or Peak Design. Even Spigen cases like the Liquid Air ($16.99 at Amazon) felt better in hand, although they tend to run just a bit more expensive.

One advantage of the Ringke Onyx is that there is a version with magnets. I didn’t test this version, and it costs a bit more, but it’s still one of the cheapest magnetic cases for the Pixel 9 series.

As long as you temper your expectations, the Ringke Onyx will not disappoint. Personally, I’d consider slightly more premium cases if you can stretch your budget since they’re more suitable for smartphones as expensive as the Pixel 9 series, especially if you’re looking for a case for the pricier Pixel 9 Pro XL.

This offer is available from Woot!, an Amazon-owned website full of deals. There is a three-unit limit per customer, and the deal will expire in 12 days or until stock runs out. The device is in new condition, and the discount only applies to the Black color version.

The Motorola Razr Plus 2024 is already out, so the 2023 model is a previous-generation device. That said, it is still a great device today, especially if you compare it to current $500 phones. The Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor and 8GB of RAM will keep performance running smoothly.

The cover display was among the biggest of its time, making it a very convenient clamshell flip phone to use when closed. The internal display features a 6.9-inch LTPO AMOLED panel with a Full HD+ resolution and an outstanding 165Hz refresh rate. It also reproduces 100% of the DCI-P3 color spectrum.

We were big fans of its design, which even included an IP52 rating, a rare feat for a foldable back in 2023. In our experience, battery life averages at about 24 hours, which is actually not too bad considering it has a smaller 3,800mAh battery. The 30W charging juices it up pretty quickly, as well. All things considered, this is pretty much a high-end device from last year, and at $500, we can’t think of anything that can really compete. It’s also a fantastic deal considering the all-time low on Amazon, which, so far, has been $550.

Make sure to get this deal sooner rather than later. While the offer ends in 12 days, stock may run out sooner. Go get yours!

Android Auto and Android Automotive are very popular in cars. They help users use third-party apps on the screens inside the car. This makes sense, as music streaming and navigation are some of the most common use cases for in-car displays. However, navigation is also a common use case for two-wheelers like motorbikes, and having Android Auto or Automotive would be great for bikes, too. If you have such a wish, you might want to consider KTM’s next bike, as it will come with Android Automotive.

Austrian motorcycle brand KTM has announced a new Communication Control Unit (CCU) for its new TFT Dashboard in horizontal and vertical avatars, which will be available first on its upcoming premium motorcycles. The upgraded CCU includes 32GB of internal storage, 3GB of RAM, and connectivity features like eSIM, GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. The best part about this upgrade is that the CCU allows the TFT Dashboard to run Android Automotive.

As Mishaal Rahman points out, Android Automotive OS is open source, so anyone can use it, but we’ve not seen it on motorcycles before. The catch here is that adding Google apps to Android Automotive OS will give it the branding “Cars with Google built-in,” which KTM doesn’t mention, meaning there won’t be Google apps preloaded on the device.

KTM is also integrating offline map navigation into the CCU, providing real-time navigation without syncing or tethering to a mobile phone. This will allow for active route guidance and route planning, along with A-B routes, preprogrammed Points of Interest, and more.

For other details, KTM mentions that the CCU will seamlessly reconnect with your smartphone on every ignition cycle. This will also make it easier to update functions and features throughout the motorcycle’s life. Initial updates will be done through the KTM dealer, but in the future, the motorcycle will be able to receive OTA updates directly.

As a bike rider, I am glad bike makers are taking their first steps to integrate familiar OS interfaces with third-party app support. I personally rely on using Google Maps on my smartwatch to avoid pulling out my phone for directions at every turn. Third-party head units are at risk of theft, so an integrated dashboard with this functionality will be much appreciated.

Google is working on yet another tool to keep you on its Search results page and away from other websites. While AI Overviews pulls its information from a general variety of sources in an attempt to answer any question, its latest feature focuses specifically on the recipe blog industry.

The Mountain View-based firm is currently testing a new Search feature called “Quick View,” as reported by Search Engine Roundtable. When searching for a recipe, some users will now see a Quick View button that appears above recipes from select blogs. Clicking on that button will show the full recipe, complete with ingredients, step-by-step instructions, and photos.

In the example below, you can see a recipe for basil pesto from the blog Love and Lemons. While you can still choose to visit the website, the recipe is right there on Google Search. We have reached out to Love and Lemons for comment.

Regarding the feature, a Google spokesperson told Search Engine Roundtable:

We’re always experimenting with different ways to connect our users with high-quality and helpful information. We have partnered with a limited number of creators to begin to explore new recipe experiences on Search that are both helpful for users and drive value to the web ecosystem. We don’t have anything to announce right now.

We have also reached out to Google for comment. We’ll update this article when new information is available.

The recipe blog industry is the poster child for the power Google has to shape the web. To rank on Search, these blogs are forced to do whatever they can to optimize their site as much as possible. As a result, you get recipe pages stuffed with recipe histories, personal experiences, and other information you probably have no interest in reading.

Google Meet has a nifty Gemini-powered feature that lets users generate custom backgrounds for video calls. The feature is currently limited to the web version, but it could soon make it to Google Meet on Android.

Google debuted the AI-generated background features as part of its Workspace Labs program back in 2023. Although the company has since extended it to all users with a Gemini for Google Workspace add-on or Google One AI Premium subscription, it’s only available through the web version of Google Meet. That could change soon, as we’ve spotted the in-development feature in the latest release of Gmail for Android (v2024.10.06.682972205).

As you can see in the attached screenshots, the feature will appear as a new button labeled “Generate a background” in the Effects menu. Currently, tapping this button opens up a blank page. However, it’s safe to assume that this page, like the web version, will feature a text box for prompts, a style selection menu, and a button to generate custom backgrounds.

On the web version of Google Meet, the feature generates a few samples based on your prompt. If you don’t like any of the initial samples, it also lets you create more samples or edit your prompt to generate different backgrounds. We expect the Android version to offer similar capabilities, but we’ll have to wait until the final rollout to know for sure.

Aside from their rounded square cases, there’s no visual more iconic about Apple Watch than the line’s famous activity rings. Users have been chasing Apple’s ring streaks and closures since the feature’s debut in 2015. As easily motivated as the best of them, I’ve had my own long-term relationship with the activity app, too. But thanks to watchOS 11, it’s finally a healthy one.

Before I celebrate the recent changes brought to this core Apple feature, let’s review the purpose of Apple’s activity rings. These represent three unique wellness metrics, each closely tied to fitness tracking:

• Move: The pink ring represents the active calories you burn through movement throughout the day.
• Exercise: The green ring represents the minutes of exercise you complete, with anything equal to or more intense than a brisk walk contributing to the pot.
• Stand: The blue ring represents how many times you stand for at least 1 minute during 12 different hours of the day. It sounds slightly pathetic, but sedentary lifestyles are, unfortunately, the rage, and simply standing once an hour can lead to major health benefits. If closing that ring is a breeze for you, consider it a gimme from Apple.

Each of these rings features a daily goal and fills in as you make progress toward that specified total throughout the day while wearing your smartwatch. If you complete thirty minutes of exercise, for example, the green ring will close and reward you with a tiny onscreen animation akin to a sparkler — yay. If you keep exercising like a show-off, the ring will overlap itself and continue filling so you can finish the day appropriately satisfied and smug.

If, however, you don’t hit Apple’s dictated goals, you won’t close the relevant ring, and both your animation and your heart will be left unfulfilled. You will lose any streak you’ve built, as well as the respect of your peers. If you’ve unwittingly tied your self-worth to your Apple rings like me, you’ll wonder where you went wrong in your physical development and how you can be so below average as a human being…

At least, that was the case before watchOS 11. For the first time, users can now pause Move, Exercise, and Stand rings, be it for a day, a week, a month, or even longer. If I wake up sick and don’t want to lose my Move streak, I can simply take the necessary time off. Likewise, if I have a long travel day coming up and I know dedicated exercise beyond airport laps is very unlikely, I can pause my rings until I reach my destination and get settled. Or if I try a friend’s motorcycle and immediately wipe out in their driveway, again (who hasn’t been there?), I can go ahead and pause all three rings for a week while my shin skin grows back. Whatever the reason, it’s finally possible for Apple’s rings to accommodate the irregularities (and unpredictabilities) of real life.

Likewise, you can also now customize all three goals on a day-to-day basis or set a new daily goal permanently. In other words, if you can squeeze out 30 minutes of exercise and don’t want to be taunted every single day or if you only want to have to stand 6 times instead of 12, Apple won’t judge you (I kind of will, though). Again, the ability to modify these goals shows Apple’s willingness to support personal wellness journeys instead of only offering a one-size-fits-all approach. The reality is that some athletes will even increase their goals compared to Apple’s baselines. The update isn’t only about making it easier to hit streaks and earn rewards, but about tailoring it to what your personal goal is.

I am thrilled to see Apple continue to tailor its wellness platform to users’ specific needs and lifestyles. This is a growing trend within the wearables market in general. As the devices continue to collect more detailed data about each user, it only makes sense that analysis, insights, and guidance be equally personalized.

• Ensure that your Apple Watch is running the latest watchOS 11 software.
• Open the Activity app on your Apple Watch and tap the rings
• Tap Pause Rings.
• Select the duration for which you want to pause your rings or set a custom timeframe.

• Ensure that your Apple Watch is running the latest watchOS 11 software.
• Open the Activity app on your Apple Watch and tap the rings, or use the digital crown to scroll down to each data page and tap the icon in the bottom right corner (the ring with the plus and minus sign inside).
• Tap Change for Today or Change Daily Goal.
• Tap the plus or minus symbol to update your goal, then tap Set.

Update: October 10, 2024 (09:52 AM ET): We’ve updated our Galaxy S25 series rumor hub with details around One UI 7, and leaks around dummy units, screen protectors, and more.

Samsung’s Galaxy S24 series launched in the middle of January 2024, arriving a little earlier in the year than the last couple of generations. Along with it, the company introduced Galaxy AI, a titanium frame, new camera tricks, and a number of other features. But now that the Galaxy S24 launch has come and gone, it is time to start thinking about the next iteration in the series. How will the Galaxy S25 series set itself apart from its predecessor? What new features will Samsung come up with for the next generation? Will 2025 finally be the year we see a major shift in the Galaxy S design philosophy? Here, we’ll break down everything we know so far about the Galaxy S25.

Samsung releases a new Galaxy S series phone on an annual cadence, and there’s no reason to believe it will stop at the Galaxy S24. But if that’s not enough to convince you, there have already been plenty of leaks and rumors about the incoming family of handsets that we’ll get into later on. Obviously, nothing is official until Samsung announces it. The company could always suddenly decide to shut down development, but that is extremely unlikely given how profitable its smartphones are. We would say it’s less of a question of whether Samsung will release a Galaxy S25 and more of a question of when it will launch in 2025.

To help bolster our confidence, we recently spotted a leaked codename for the Galaxy S25 series: “paradigm.” This adds fuel to the fire that we’re expecting the Galaxy S25 series to land on schedule.

Further, at the Samsung Developer Conference in October 2024, Samsung mentioned that the stable version of One UI 7 will be released “next year with the new Galaxy.”

While this does not explicitly mention the Galaxy S25, Samsung historically releases some form of software update whenever it launches a new flagship. Given the history of the lineup, the first flagship expected in early 2025 is the Galaxy S25 series.

So yes, there will very likely be a Galaxy S25.

• Galaxy S22 — February 9, 2022
• Galaxy S23 — February 17, 2023
• Galaxy S24 — January 31, 2024

The Galaxy S24 lineup launched in January, so we’re still a fair distance away from the expected release of the Galaxy S25 series. As such, it will be a while before Samsung provides an official launch date for the device.

We can join some dots, though, thanks to One UI 7’s release date. Public betas for One UI 7 are expected before the end of 2024 for the Galaxy S24 series. Samsung also officially mentioned that One UI 7 stable will launch in 2025 along with the next Galaxy. Presuming that Samsung doesn’t intend to run the One UI 7 beta program for several months, it indicates that we’ll likely see the Galaxy S25 in the early parts of the year.

This is corroborated by the fact that the South Korea-based firm usually launches its Galaxy S phones near the beginning of the year. For the last three years, the release date has fallen in the months of January and February. We assume Samsung will keep the same cadence for the Galaxy S25. Unfortunately, we’ll need to wait to find out the exact date.

Even before the Galaxy S24 launched in January 2024, we were hearing rumors about the Galaxy S25. Now that it has been a while since the release of 2024’s Galaxy phones, the rumor mill for next year’s phones has picked up a lot of steam. These rumors and leaks span the gamut from the SoC to the design and more. Let’s take a moment to break down all of the available information.

Galaxy S25 models

It stands to reason that the Galaxy S25 series will consist of the Galaxy S25, the Galaxy S25 Plus, and the Galaxy S25 Ultra. After all, Samsung has used this naming convention since the Galaxy S20 series.

Tipster Yogesh Brar made a rather interesting claim on August 16, though. The leaker claimed that Samsung could be thinking about a name change for the Plus and Ultra models. More specifically, Brar asserted that the Galaxy S25 Ultra could become the Galaxy S25 Note, while the S25 Plus could become the S25 Pro.

We’ve previously seen Apple offer the iPhone 15 Pro, which has more features than the iPhone 15 Plus. So we’re guessing an S25 Pro could be a more feature-packed offering than an S25 Plus. But this is just a rumor for now, so you shouldn’t hold your breath for this change. As of now, we’re still believing that there will be vanilla, Plus, and Ultra models in the Galaxy S25 lineup.

Design

The design of the Galaxy S series has hardly changed in the last few generations. That’s why we were excited when leaker Revegnus said that Ilhwan Lee, a former Mercedes-Benz designer, has been tasked with making the Galaxy brand feel “fresh” and that design changes are expected.

Despite this news, in September, reliable tipster Steve Hemmerstoffer (aka OnLeaks) shared a look at what the Galaxy S25 Ultra could look like, and…it’s very similar to the past three years. The renders disclosed by the leaker do showcase a slightly new design that more resembles Sony’s Xperia flagships, but it’s hardly an overhaul:

The device appears to have flat sides and rounded corners, and Samsung’s signature camera setup is on the back.

We’ve also seen dummy leaks of the Galaxy S25 Ultra by leaker xleaks7 that corroborate the phone’s rounded corners.

The dummy phone looks as large as ever in the hands, with the unit measuring 162.82 x 77.65 x 8.25 mm, making it slightly taller, narrower, and thinner than its predecessor’s 162.3 x 79 x 8.6 mm dimensions.

We’ve also seen a clear case leak for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which shows the S Pen location near the bottom right edge of the device.

Tipster Ice Universe initially claimed that we may still see some changes to the texture of the camera setup shown in the leaked renders but then backtracked on those changes. Do note that details like the camera lens housing can be changed fairly easily late in the development stage.

Meanwhile, more leaks from Hemmertoffer and Android Headlines have given us possible glimpses into the designs of the standard Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus models.

As per the leaks, the standard S25 appears to be getting a size reduction across the board compared to its predecessor, the S24. The rumored dimensions are 146.9 x 70.4 x 7.2mm, which is noticeably smaller than the S24’s 147 x 70.6 x 7.6mm dimensions. Interestingly, this shrinkage doesn’t seem to impact the display size, which is expected to remain around 6.17 inches and likely marketed as 6.2 inches.

There are a couple of other noteworthy tweaks. The camera setup is now rumored to feature rings around the lenses, similar to what we’ve seen in leaked renders of the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Additionally, the bezels appear to be getting slimmer, while the flat sides are here to stay for another year. We can expect the Galaxy S25 Plus to also come with the same aesthetics with a slightly bigger screen size, as seen in Hemmerstoffer’s renders below:

Tipster Ice Universe also posted images comparing mock-ups of the Galaxy S25 Ultra to the Galaxy S25 and iPhone 16 Pro Max. This gives us a better idea of the thickness of Samsung’s phones. The leaker also posted images comparing the S25 Ultra to the S24 Ultra, revealing a thinner and lighter metal frame for the new phone.

Strangely enough, the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus are tipped to offer rather curious individual camera cutouts that look a bit like Super Mario warp pipes. We do have concerns about lint and dust gathering under the lip of these cutouts. Check it out in the Ice Universe image below.

Leaker Ice Universe also shared an image of screen protectors intended for the Galaxy S25 series. The screen protectors compare the display sizes side-by-side and showcase the updated rounded display design for the top-end Ultra variant.

Cameras

One of the first pieces of information to leak about the S25 Ultra was the camera specs. Early rumors were very conflicted, with some claiming massive overhauls (such as going with a simple, triple-lens setup) and a big upgrade for the primary 200MP lens. However, as the year has gone on, most of those early rumors have been shot down. The most recent info points to a few upgrades for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but not a complete overhaul.

Ice Universe posted a load of apparent Galaxy S25 Ultra camera specs on Weibo on May 27. They claimed that the Ultra phone would stick with a 200MP main camera and 50MP 5x periscope telephoto zoom but would switch to a 50MP ultrawide lens. Unfortunately, it looks like we won’t see a 50MP 3x telephoto camera to match, as the tipster says the Ultra phone will retain the current 3x 10MP telephoto lens.

Leaker Sperandio4Tech also posted info on sensor upgrades for those two upgraded lenses. Allegedly, the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s ultrawide lens could get “a new version of the 1/2.76-inch JN1 sensor.” Meanwhile, the 3x telephoto lens could get “a new 1/3-inch Isocell sensor.”

On June 27, we finally got a closer look at what is likely to be the sensor for the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus, as the company announced several new sensors, but it was the ISCOELL GNJ that caught our eye. The GNJ has a sensor that’s roughly on par with the main camera sensor in the S24 and S24 Plus at 1/1.57 inches versus the 1/1.56-inch sensor found on the two S23 handsets. The new sensor also sports one-micron pixels, much like the sensor used on the S24 and S24 Plus. Leaker Ice Universe also mentions that Samsung decided to “continue using the same sensor on the S25 and even the S26,” indicating that we may not see a whole lot of change on these.

Processors

Some of the biggest Galaxy S25 rumors so far have related to the processors. Samsung brought back its tradition of offering the Galaxy S series with a Snapdragon processor in selected markets and an Exynos chip for the rest of the world with the S24. This was after the much-welcome shift in 2023 of abandoning Exynos and offering Snapdragon processors for all handsets around the world.

In September 2024, a Korean outlet reported that the Galaxy S25 series would exclusively use Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chips, which could be good news for folks who don’t like the Exynos/Snapdragon split. The website also suggested that Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 for Galaxy chip is “specialized” for the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

If Samsung does go all-in on Snapdragon, the Galaxy S25 could get a nice speed boost. Tipster Digital Chat Station claims that chips will hit 4GHz. This would be a notable improvement from the Gen 3 processor, which is capable of reaching 3.3GHz.

Furthermore, one leak claims the company could also utilize a MediaTek Dimensity SoC for select models. This seems less likely and it’s important to mention the sourcing is a bit questionable with this one, so a grain of salt is necessary. Google’s DeepMind team also hinted at a MediaTek flagship for a future Samsung phone, but then labelled the text as erroneous. Still, it seems likely Samsung isn’t happy paying Qualcomm’s high pricing for its chips and is actively looking for other options.

Moving on to the display, not much is currently known about display specs outside of the rumor that the series could go bigger. However, Samsung has been working on next-generation OLED displays that would allow fingerprint scanning anywhere on the screen and allow multiple fingerprints to be scanned simultaneously. At the time, the CEO of Isorg, Dieter May, predicted that Samsung would be ready to deliver these displays by 2025.

On to battery specs, it’s possible Samsung could be planning to use stack technology for the battery in the S25 series, according to a report from The Elec. This tech is commonly used in electric vehicles, but it appears Samsung’s research and development department is considering bringing it over to smartphones. Stacking refers to the way cells in the battery are arranged, which can lead to a higher energy capacity inside a smaller volume. According to the report, the arrangement could provide a 10% improvement in energy density.

Meanwhile, a report from GalaxyClub says the standard Galaxy S25 could have the same 4,000mAh capacity as the Galaxy S24. This isn’t bad news, but it might be disappointing for anyone hoping to eke out a bit more juice from the Galaxy S25.

As for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, tipster Digital Chat Station says to expect a 5,000mAh battery with 45W fast charging. This was later confirmed through a Chinese regulatory listing, which shows that the phone supports 45W charging with 15V and 3A specifications.

The same listing also suggests that the Galaxy S25 Ultra could feature satellite connectivity, something that was anticipated on the Galaxy S24 but never happened. What about the Galaxy S25 Plus? Well, GalaxyClub reports that you can expect the same 4,900mAh capacity as the S24 Plus.

In a reply to a social post from Samsung, tipster Ice Universe claims that the base Galaxy S25 will once again have 8GB of RAM. Presumably, the leaker is suggesting that only 8GB of RAM will be available, regardless of the configuration. If true, this would mean the S25 will have the same amount of memory as Samsung gave the S24 and S23. However, the latest Android Headlines report strongly suggests that the base Galaxy S25 model will start with 12GB of RAM this year, possibly to allow for better handling of AI tasks. Ice Universe also mentions that the Galaxy S25 Ultra will have 16GB of RAM. Samsung tipster CID mentions that the Galaxy S25 series could have 12GB RAM for the standard and Plus variants and 16GB for the Ultra.

While it is possible we won’t see a change in the amount of memory, the storage story could be different. Samsung Semiconductor released a roadmap for the next generation of UFS. That roadmap states the company will release UFS 4.0 4-lane CS in 2025 before jumping to UFS 5.0 in 2027.

Based on the roadmap, UFS 4.0 4-lane CS will double the read/write rates of the current UFS 4.0 standard. The additional speed will provide a number of benefits, like faster load times and more efficient on-device AI applications.

• Galaxy S22 — $799 (base), $999 (Plus), $1,199 (Ultra)
• Galaxy S23 — $799 (base), $999 (Plus), $1,199 (Ultra)
• Galaxy S24 — $799 (base), $999 (Plus), $1,299 (Ultra)

When it comes to pricing, Samsung has stayed fairly consistent over recent years. For the last three years, in fact, the base and Plus models have remained at $799 and $999, respectively. The only price change that happened during this time span was with the Ultra model, which went up by $100 in 2024.

The good news is that there’s not enough information to suggest a price increase for any model. On the other hand, the bad news is that there’s also not enough information to suggest that Samsung won’t implement a price bump. If we had to guess, however, we believe the cost will be the same as it was in 2024.

To add some weight behind our claim that we won’t see price increases, Apple’s prices for the iPhone 16 series — an accepted rubric for Samsung’s pricing — remained unchanged this year. This heavily suggests we won’t see changes from Samsung for Galaxy S25 pricing, at least in the US.

Unless you’re dead set on getting the latest and greatest from Samsung, there’s not really any reason to wait. The exception to that is if you’re not in immediate need of a new phone. In that case, it might be worth waiting to see how the Galaxy S25 series pans out.

If you need something now, Samsung’s Galaxy S24 ($859.99 at Amazon), Galaxy S24 Plus ($1119.99 at Amazon), and Galaxy S24 Ultra ($1419.99 at Amazon) can likely serve all your needs. Likewise, you have your choice of perfectly capable non-Samsung handsets that range anywhere from premium to budget-tier and everything in between. For example, the Google Pixel 9 Pro ($999 at Amazon) is a solid device that has great cameras and neat AI features powered by Gemini. There’s also the Nothing Phone 2 ($699 at Amazon) if you want a flagship smartphone that won’t hurt your wallet.

Innovation in the Android web browser space has slowed considerably in recent years. Industry leaders Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome have focused on improving the user experience, bolstering speed, and diversifying other related offerings. However, the true essence of these browsers hasn’t changed much, if at all. So, when apps like the Arc Search browser arrive and offer a fresh take, there’s reason to be excited.

The fledgling browser, developed by New York-based The Browser Company, first landed on Apple platforms in 2022, with a Windows version following in April 2024. This month, the early access version for Android finally made its debut. But is it any good? Is Arc Search browser the Google Chrome challenger we’ve been waiting for? Can it topple Mozilla Firefox’s as my web browsing workhorse? Find my thoughts below.

Arc Search is nominally a web browser, but after using it for a weekend, I feel it’s a poor way to describe the app. It utilizes the underpinnings of Google Chrome, but its execution and presentation are starkly different.

Although you’ll find the usual web browser trappings, such as tab management, a search bar, and content-blocking features, Arc Search browser is far more reminiscent of AI-powered answer engines like Perplexity. Arc supports web addresses, but they aren’t nearly as important as search queries. This is made even more apparent by the browser’s best feature: Browse For Me, a surprisingly useful AI summarization tool.

After issuing a query, Arc Search collects and collates relevant information from several sites. It then presents it in a snapshot report with key points, useful details with sections, and the sources it used. While querying Google Search provides potential routes to an answer, Browse For Me provides an actual answer.

I was impressed at how well it summarized a wide range of topics, including “What is brat summer?,” “What is the next F1 race?,” and the rather indistinct query of “Manchester United.” When searching the latter during the team’s recent match against Aston Villa, Browse For Me provided surprisingly current details, from half-time injuries and substitutions to the best-performing players just minutes after the mid-way whistle.

Searching “Aston Villa” in the same tab just minutes later provided comparatively generic info about the team at the top of the page, including the club’s history and recent win against Bayern, instead of the current match details as presented in the previous Manchester United query. The feature would be better if it recognized context when processing search terms.

I also find that Browse For Me’s summaries are often far less focused and nuanced than Perplexity, ChatGPT, and Gemini. The “Best ways to drink coffee” results wandered into coffee etiquette and health benefits and only covered brewing methods — arguably the topic more closely related to the query than others — at the bottom of the page. The feature seems to have a difficult time prioritizing information.

Despite these blips, Browse For Me is genuinely useful. The browser also does a fairly good job of making this feature visible and enticing. Even if Google or another provider is set as your default engine, each search bar query will be presented with a Browse For Me shortcut button alongside.

After toying with this part of Arc Search, I realized how different it is compared to traditional browsers. It bests Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox for instant data discovery. As Browse For Me is an Arc exclusive, the new browser is a far better snapshot search tool than its more established rivals.

Another divergent design feature is how Arc Search manages your browsing session, particularly your opened tabs. It takes UI cues from Android, presenting tabs as if they were opened apps within a task switcher. Tap the tab button at the bottom left corner of the app, and each shrunken tab window will be presented one at a time. You can also scroll horizontally to highlight them.

This arrangement might sound novel, but it’s far from practical. It certainly makes Arc Search feel like an OS within an OS, but it hampers the ability to quickly jump between tabs, especially if you’re 10+ tabs deep in a lengthy browsing session. Compare Arc’s tab switcher to Chrome (center) and Firefox (right) in the image below, and you’ll understand my frustration.

Arc also makes it challenging to spawn new tabs from current tabs. The app currently has no long-press context menu — a browser feature I cannot live without on a desktop, let alone mobile — to open hyperlinks in new tabs and copy links. Like browsing without a middle click, this makes Arc Search an absolute chore for research-heavy browsing sessions that require multiple sub-tabs. Surely this isn’t a deliberate design decision but an early access blip. I hope it’s fixed in the upcoming release.

Nevertheless, Arc Search offers a very useful automatic archive feature if you are wayward with your opened tabs. It’s a lot like browsing a history list, but these archived tabs seemingly open instantly. The time before tabs are archived can also be adjusted based on your needs.

Arc Search is in its early access phase. I can’t be too harsh on it for this reason. The app’s Android version isn’t even openly advertised on Arc’s official website. However, considering that it is available to the public, it is important to mention the features it currently lacks.

• There’s no sync feature like on the other OS versions, but this also means you don’t need to create an Arc Search account to use it like on Windows.
• The browser lacks landscape support. This is particularly annoying when browsing on a foldable phone or a tablet.
• The onboarding process does a poor job of detailing the browser’s full list of features, specifically highlighting how to activate the incognito mode, how pinned web pages function, and how the archival feature can be best used.
• It currently lacks a Browse For Me widget, which would instantly boost its usefulness on my device.
• Arc and Bitwarden don’t play nice. I struggled to get the password manager screen to appear, making logging into sites a complete chore.
• Arc Search can only be installed on devices running Android 13 or newer. I’ve seen several users online try to install the browser on their Android 12 phones to no avail.
• It currently lacks several iOS features, including a reader mode, a real-time article summarization feature, voice search, and the quirky conversations feature that lets you query Arc as if you’re on a phone call.
• Unlike Firefox, Arc Search lacks extension support. While Chrome mobile doesn’t support them either, it’s worth remembering that some Chromium-based browsers, like Kiwi and Yandex, do work with Chrome extensions.

In a word, yes. Arc Search is well worth downloading and installing, even in its current state. It’s a surprisingly solid app. However, don’t expect it to replace Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox as your primary web conduit. As I’ve mentioned, it’s wonderful for snapshot topic searches, but it’s not yet a comprehensive package.

It lacks features we take for granted in mature web browsers, from extension support and context menus to reliable password manager support. These features are imperative for getting things done online.

There are clear and exciting visions of its future, though. Arc Search browser offers a great auto archiving system, a useful pinned sites bar, content blocking by default, and its excellent Browse For Me feature. There’s also the promise of iOS features potentially making their way onto Android, which would really make it one of the more exciting browsers out there.

That said, I’m not sure if web browsing needs to be made exciting. There’s a reason why the essence of the web browser hasn’t changed much in recent years. Familiarity is essential for daily workflow, and Arc feels alien.

As a result, Arc Search won’t remain my Android phone’s default browser, but it’ll definitely have a place on my pinned apps list. I’m excited to see where the app goes; it has heaps of potential. But I’m sticking to Firefox and Chrome for my daily browsing needs, at least for now.